Sony PSP arrives in UK stores at midnight |
|
|
Published
:
Thu, 01 Sep 2005 11:05
|
LONDON: Five months after its release in the US and a year after technophiles have been giving rave reviews about it, Sony Corp.’s PlayStation Portable arrived in UK stores today. At many stores where they arrived at midnight, people had queued up much earlier to get their PSPS.
Sony’s strategic schedule for PSP’s worldwide release appears to be paying off as the wait and the hype have worked up enough excitement to keep UK stores’ cash boxes ringing in the weeks to come. Many gaming enthusiasts in the UK had already obtained their PSPs through some stores that obliged them with units imported from outside Europe. Such import was halted only after Sony initiated court action ordering the stores involved to stop importing PSP units.
Besides the UK, the product is expected to hit stores also in Australia and the Middle East today. In the US where it was launched in March, half a million units of the product were sold in just two days. To date, five million units have been shipped to markets worldwide.
The product is Sony’s successful attempt to wean gamers away from ‘Gameboy’ and ‘Gameboy Advance’ – the handheld consoles with which their maker Nintendo had been virtually ruling the market. The gaming market which began with Nintendo’s ‘Gameboy’ 16 years ago, has now grown into a multi-billion pound industry covering over 200 countries in the world.
This barely seven-inch-long gadget has clearly won over gamers. The graphics are amazing, the screen is large and the gadget - besides being used for playing games can also be used to play movies (widescreen) and music; store videos and pictures and surf the Internet (WiFi). It can be used for online gaming too. Users will be able to download video content and gaming trailers using the WiFi access. And as it has wireless networking, one can play games with partners without having to use connecting wires. Gamers are keen to compare it with Sony’s own PlayStation 2 console, although the PSP has a couple of features fewer than its bulky sibling. They call it ‘the most powerful handheld gaming platform’ and nearly as powerful as the PlayStation 2. However, it does not have a touch-sensitive screen like the ‘son of Gameboy’ does.
Retailer HMV held a party last night at its Oxford Street, London store to celebrate the product’s launch. Virgin Megastores, also on the same street, opened at midnight to long queues. While in Cologne, Germany, it is learnt that one Toys R Us store held a special gaming night to celebrate the arrival of the PSP.
Besides resenting the 5 month delay in getting this device, gamers in the UK have one more grouse: at around £180 it would seem expensive, especially, knowing that it is being sold in the US and Japan for nearly half that price level.
1 million units will be shipped to the UK before Christmas, Sony said. Apple’s ROKR iPod mobile phone is also expected to be launched today, this one features iTunes allowing users to download songs from their PCs. Sony has already launched its own Walkman phone last week which is expected to rival the ROKR iPod phone in some features.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Print this Story
